U.S. Millennials: Internet usage and Online Shopping

Individuals born between 1980 and early 2000s, also known as Millennials or Generation Y, are heavy internet users. American users aged 25 to 34 years old had the highest monthly average of internet usage amongst all group ages in 2016. That year, online users aged 25 to 34 spent an average of 2,891 minutes online via PC per month. Furthermore, PC or desktop computers only accounted for a share of their internet usage – about 27 percent as of 2015. In the U.S., internet users aged 25 to 34 years spent 57 percent of their online minutes via smartphone apps, and eight percent via smartphone web. Individuals aged between 18 and 24 years old spent about 62 percent of their time on smartphone apps. Local chat app Yik Yak is the leading apps among Millennial in the U.S. Other popular apps include the PlayStation Official App, Venmo, Twitch and Vine. The most popular mobile phone activities of this age group include using a search engine like Google or Yahoo, listening to music, and watching a video. Millennials internet users in the U.S. are indeed heavy digital video viewers, as around 92 percent of online Millennials watch digital videos.

Millennials use social networks to create, share and exchange information with each other. The most popular social networking site amongst all Millennial age groups is Facebook. In 2016, about 50 percent of Americans used 30 to 34 years old stated using Facebook the most; this share stood at 41 percent for the 25 to 29 years age group, and 36 percent for Millennials aged between 18 and 24. In 2015, only 11 percent of Millennials in the U.S. stated that they did not have a Facebook account. Instagram ranked second; YouTube, LinkedIn and Pinterest follow. Snapchat is seeing its popularity grow, especially between teenagers and young adults in the U.S. In 2016, it was found that 72 percent of responding internet users aged 13 to 24 used Snapchat. Despite this large base among young Millennials, about 54 percent of Millennials stated that they did not have a Snapchat account in 2015.

Millennials often turn to digital platforms to search and purchase products. It was found that about 73 percent of internet users aged 18 to 24 years purchased products or services online in 2015, and about 74 percent of Millennials compared prices online that year. About 71 percent of Millennials had an Amazon Prime membership in 2016, the highest figure between all generations. Shopping apps and mobile wallets are also growing in popularity within this age group. About 54 percent of Millennials reported that they use shopping apps because they were easier to use than a mobile site, while 27 percent of Millennials said that they use a shopping app to get a discount or a lower price. Leading shopping apps among Millennials in the U.S. include Amazon, Etsy, Forever 21, Jack Threads and Starbucks.

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